October 5, 2016

POS 383 CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
In class today, Wednesday 10/5, I distributed 3 handouts: Assignment #1 (reproduced below); the case you'll be outlining (the majority opinion in Gonzales v. Raich); and my version of the Medicaid outline in NFIB v. Sebelius. If you weren't in class today, I left a copy of the three handouts in my mailbox in the Political Science department office (across the hall from our classroom).
We began class by going over some scheduling. Next week, 10/12, I won't be in class, but the class will meet and watch two episodes of a PBS series on the Supreme Court. On 10/19, the outline is due, and we'll go over those outlines, as well as going over some practice questions for our exam #1, which will be given at the beginning of class on 10/26.
We then returned to the question of coercion and the NFIB v. Selelius case. We put the case in outline format, and covered all three opinions in the text. We then moved onto the Commerce Clause, and went through Gibbons v. Ogden.
The assignment for next week and the week beyond is to do assignment #1, review the materials previously assigned that were not reached today (text. pp. 422-439) and to read in addition in the text pp. 463-466 and 473-492.

Assignment due Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The assignment is to do an outline of Stevens’ majority opinion in Gonzales v. Raich (also distributed to the class today).

Follow the format from the Sample Outlines that I’ve distributed. Note that the basic format is a complete sentence for the Title (for the Roman numerals); and then Question and Answer for the other elements. For Stevens’ opinion, the only structure he provides is Roman numerals I-V. So add sub-elements to the outline as necessary in order to cover the points raised by him (e.g. I (A) (1) (a)).

How do you know when to add sub-elements? Ask yourself what questions the Justices are asking, and how they are answering them. For example, Stevens’ paragraphs 2-5 address one basic question --- the background to the controversy. His paragraphs 6-9 address a different question --- what were the prior proceedings.
Do not outline the introductory section of the Opinions (¶1, before Roman Numeral I).

The assignment will be graded on both the structure and the content of your outline. The outline will also be graded on how well you write English, and how clearly you organize your thoughts. I like short clear sentences better than long complicated ones. I like correct grammar.

Please make two copies of your outline, one to hand in at the beginning of class, and the other for you to have during class for our discussion.

You may e-mail me if you have specific questions about the assignment. The more time that I have to answer your questions, the more likely it is that I can be helpful.

If you cannot be in class on Wednesday 10/19, you should still e-mail me your assignment by the beginning of class time. If you do that, you will not have any grade deducted from your grade for the outline. If you do not, you should still contact me as soon as possible to see what options are available to you. (Generally, I do not want to accept assignments after we have discussed them in class). See the Syllabus for the class rules regarding late papers.

The work should be entirely your own, with no collaboration or plagiarism. Do not show your paper to anyone. Do not look at anyone else’s paper. See the syllabus regarding plagiarism and collaboration.


IMPORTANT: If you e-mail your assignment to me, I will reply to confirm that I have received your assignment. If you do not get a reply, then I have not received the assignment.